This story was actually written for the October SD-1 challenge but I
thought I'd try my luck here as well. This is a one part only story, so, if
you happen to read it, just know that there will be no further chapters.
Happy readings.
~*
"Well Jack, you know what they say. 'Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'"
Jack stopped pacing and turned to his wife, "I said that I was old, not dead! And they do not say that."
Irina looked at him with an expression of mild concern, "Well I say that. Sit with me." She patted the lounge chair and sat herself.
He considered, sighed and sat. "Am I really too old?"
Irina let out a hearty laugh. "Darling, you'll never be too old for me." She kissed his cheek. "I never really saw you as a fruit picker though."
"There's nothing left." Jack sighed and slumped back into the chair.
"What am I?" Irina asked quietly. "How can you say that you are old when you act like a child?"
He sat up and ran his fingers through her hair. "I didn't mean it like that. God, what happened to us?"
"I believe that we wanted to be together."
"We will always be together." Jack assured her. He held his arms out and she fell into his embrace.
"I love you Jack."
"I love you Irina."
They remained like that for a long while just holding each other.
Irina was the first to break the silence. "Do you remember that Halloween?"
I believe there were several." He replied.
"The one just after Syd's fifth birthday." She said, pulling back so she could see his face.
"The fairy costume."
"With the wings"
"And the halo"
"And the pink materials that went for miles around the house for weeks, while I was trying to make it!"
"And the matching pink slippers that I had to pick up on the way home from work."
"And then she wanted to be a pirate!"
Jack laughed, "You were so frustrated!"
"But she was good about it and she wore it anyway because I'd worked so hard on it." Irina continued, taking a bottle of wine from the table and filling two glasses that sat beside it. She handed one to Jack and took a sip from her own.
"So we dressed up as pirates to take her trick-or-treating, she looked like such a little angel," Jack added.
The smile faded from Irina's face, "You know, I think that we did a good job on her. or at least the we did a good job the first six years."
"I agree with you."
"I never would have left but I didn't have a choice. They warned me when I accepted the assignment." Irina spoke quickly.
Jack put his fingers to her lips as if to physically stop the words. "You don't have to do this every time we talk about our daughter. I know what happened and I don't care. We have each other now, Syd has a life back in LA with Eric Weiss, we're okay and that's all that matters."
She kissed him. "I don't know how the two of you could ever forgive me but I'm glad you did."
He smiled and kissed her again. As the wine moved to their heads and emotions, the kisses grew deeper and more passionate.
The phone rang.
"Ignore it." Jack demanded grabbing at clothing.
"What if it's someone important?" Irina asked, pulling the shirt over his head and sinking her teeth into his shoulder.
His breath quickened, "Like whom?"
Her mind went blank as she tried to think of someone. His lips danced down her neck and onto her breasts, making her head spin. "Uh."
The ringing stopped and the answering machine clicked on. Jack's voice filled the room, "Leave a message," and a beep sounded.
"Mum, Dad. I know that you're there. Pick up this phone right now!" Sydney demanded.
The kisses stopped and Jack peeled himself off Irina.
"Told you that it would be someone important." Irina said before she picked up the phone. "Hi sweetie, we were just talking about you and then."
Sydney cut her off with quick and desperate speech, "Mom, you have to get out of there!"
"Sydney, what's going on?" She asked suspiciously.
"Sloane knows where you are and a mole leaked your location to the CIA. Both Sloane and the CIA know where you are. CIA are hoping to bag themselves a whole bunch of fugitives," She informed Irina, "You have to move!"
"Does CIA know that you have had contact with us for months now?" Irina asked leaving the couch to pace the room.
"What?" Jack asked watching her pace.
"No," Sydney replied, "If they did, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Listen to me. Mary and Anthony Tucker have a flight to Paris tomorrow morning at oh-five hundred. Unpack you aliases and call me when you get to Paris."
"Okay, I love you darling." Irina said.
"I love you too mom. Tell dad that I love him and stay safe." And she hung up the phone before Irina could reply.
Irina looked at Jack with worried look and said, "They know."
He switched into spy mode. He went quickly to the hall cupboard and opened it, "Alias?" He asked.
"Tucker." Irina replied rushing around, grabbing a few essentials.
Jack looked quickly for the suitcase that had 'Tucker' printed on the label. He found it and yanked it from its resting spot. "Let's go."
Irina took the suitcase from him and went out the front door while Jack went to the kitchen for car keys.
She was half way to the car when it struck her. It was far too dark and definitely too quiet. She peered into the eerie night and froze.
A floodlight lit up the front of the house as the guns of the CIA offices were cocked and pointed at her.
She stood still and looked at them, considering her next move. She threw the suitcase and ran in the opposite direction. The shots erupted, shattering the silence of the night.
Jack had seen the light and ran to the door in time to see his wife go down with the hail of gunfire.
"Irina!" He screamed, running for her. A sharp sting followed by burning penetrated his left shoulder as he dropped by her side.
Her big brown eyes were fixed on him, "Opps," She muttered through her clenched teeth.
Jack pulled her close. He clung to her and wept like a small child. "Don't leave me Irina, please don't leave me."
"I love you Jack," She whispered.
When Jack pulled back and looked at her again, she was lifeless and gone.
"I love you Irina," He whispered back to her before he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
His sadness was replaced with anger when he caught sight of the firing squad. "Bastards!" He yelled, "You killed her! Well you'll have to kill me to because I won't go alive!"
He ran towards them waving his arms wildly. He looked to the sky and cried her name as the gunfire started again.
~*
"Well Jack, you know what they say. 'Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'"
Jack stopped pacing and turned to his wife, "I said that I was old, not dead! And they do not say that."
Irina looked at him with an expression of mild concern, "Well I say that. Sit with me." She patted the lounge chair and sat herself.
He considered, sighed and sat. "Am I really too old?"
Irina let out a hearty laugh. "Darling, you'll never be too old for me." She kissed his cheek. "I never really saw you as a fruit picker though."
"There's nothing left." Jack sighed and slumped back into the chair.
"What am I?" Irina asked quietly. "How can you say that you are old when you act like a child?"
He sat up and ran his fingers through her hair. "I didn't mean it like that. God, what happened to us?"
"I believe that we wanted to be together."
"We will always be together." Jack assured her. He held his arms out and she fell into his embrace.
"I love you Jack."
"I love you Irina."
They remained like that for a long while just holding each other.
Irina was the first to break the silence. "Do you remember that Halloween?"
I believe there were several." He replied.
"The one just after Syd's fifth birthday." She said, pulling back so she could see his face.
"The fairy costume."
"With the wings"
"And the halo"
"And the pink materials that went for miles around the house for weeks, while I was trying to make it!"
"And the matching pink slippers that I had to pick up on the way home from work."
"And then she wanted to be a pirate!"
Jack laughed, "You were so frustrated!"
"But she was good about it and she wore it anyway because I'd worked so hard on it." Irina continued, taking a bottle of wine from the table and filling two glasses that sat beside it. She handed one to Jack and took a sip from her own.
"So we dressed up as pirates to take her trick-or-treating, she looked like such a little angel," Jack added.
The smile faded from Irina's face, "You know, I think that we did a good job on her. or at least the we did a good job the first six years."
"I agree with you."
"I never would have left but I didn't have a choice. They warned me when I accepted the assignment." Irina spoke quickly.
Jack put his fingers to her lips as if to physically stop the words. "You don't have to do this every time we talk about our daughter. I know what happened and I don't care. We have each other now, Syd has a life back in LA with Eric Weiss, we're okay and that's all that matters."
She kissed him. "I don't know how the two of you could ever forgive me but I'm glad you did."
He smiled and kissed her again. As the wine moved to their heads and emotions, the kisses grew deeper and more passionate.
The phone rang.
"Ignore it." Jack demanded grabbing at clothing.
"What if it's someone important?" Irina asked, pulling the shirt over his head and sinking her teeth into his shoulder.
His breath quickened, "Like whom?"
Her mind went blank as she tried to think of someone. His lips danced down her neck and onto her breasts, making her head spin. "Uh."
The ringing stopped and the answering machine clicked on. Jack's voice filled the room, "Leave a message," and a beep sounded.
"Mum, Dad. I know that you're there. Pick up this phone right now!" Sydney demanded.
The kisses stopped and Jack peeled himself off Irina.
"Told you that it would be someone important." Irina said before she picked up the phone. "Hi sweetie, we were just talking about you and then."
Sydney cut her off with quick and desperate speech, "Mom, you have to get out of there!"
"Sydney, what's going on?" She asked suspiciously.
"Sloane knows where you are and a mole leaked your location to the CIA. Both Sloane and the CIA know where you are. CIA are hoping to bag themselves a whole bunch of fugitives," She informed Irina, "You have to move!"
"Does CIA know that you have had contact with us for months now?" Irina asked leaving the couch to pace the room.
"What?" Jack asked watching her pace.
"No," Sydney replied, "If they did, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Listen to me. Mary and Anthony Tucker have a flight to Paris tomorrow morning at oh-five hundred. Unpack you aliases and call me when you get to Paris."
"Okay, I love you darling." Irina said.
"I love you too mom. Tell dad that I love him and stay safe." And she hung up the phone before Irina could reply.
Irina looked at Jack with worried look and said, "They know."
He switched into spy mode. He went quickly to the hall cupboard and opened it, "Alias?" He asked.
"Tucker." Irina replied rushing around, grabbing a few essentials.
Jack looked quickly for the suitcase that had 'Tucker' printed on the label. He found it and yanked it from its resting spot. "Let's go."
Irina took the suitcase from him and went out the front door while Jack went to the kitchen for car keys.
She was half way to the car when it struck her. It was far too dark and definitely too quiet. She peered into the eerie night and froze.
A floodlight lit up the front of the house as the guns of the CIA offices were cocked and pointed at her.
She stood still and looked at them, considering her next move. She threw the suitcase and ran in the opposite direction. The shots erupted, shattering the silence of the night.
Jack had seen the light and ran to the door in time to see his wife go down with the hail of gunfire.
"Irina!" He screamed, running for her. A sharp sting followed by burning penetrated his left shoulder as he dropped by her side.
Her big brown eyes were fixed on him, "Opps," She muttered through her clenched teeth.
Jack pulled her close. He clung to her and wept like a small child. "Don't leave me Irina, please don't leave me."
"I love you Jack," She whispered.
When Jack pulled back and looked at her again, she was lifeless and gone.
"I love you Irina," He whispered back to her before he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
His sadness was replaced with anger when he caught sight of the firing squad. "Bastards!" He yelled, "You killed her! Well you'll have to kill me to because I won't go alive!"
He ran towards them waving his arms wildly. He looked to the sky and cried her name as the gunfire started again.